Stairway to fitness: Actress runs up 47 flights

Model/actress Elisabetta Fontane is best known for her role on the French-Canadian version of "Big Brother."

Model/actress Elisabetta Fontane is best known for her role on the French-Canadian version of "Big Brother." (John Ciambrone/Courtesy)

By David Raterman, Correspondent

Elisabetta Fantone is a model and actress who shot to fame in 2006 on "Loft Story," a French-Canadian version of "Big Brother."

Since then, she and her family have made South Florida home — all choosing to live at the "beach." Her parents are in Delray Beach, her brother in West Palm Beach, and Fantone in Miami Beach. She lives in a condo building with 47 flights of stairs, and she uses them for a vigorous running workout.

Her new movie, "Havana 57," premiered at a handful of South Florida theaters this month. It showcases the decadence and danger of Cuba's capital in the 1950s, and Fantone plays Juliana, a sensual Tropicana dancer who is also a mobster's girlfriend.

Q: Why do you keep fit?

A: Of course, there's career. Being an actress in the public eye, you have to keep a good figure if you want to keep working. And it's for me to feel good and happy and know that I'm healthy. Also, the more I keep active, the less lazy I feel. So keeping fit is physical but also mental.

A: I live in a condo building and we have 47 floors, so every day I run the whole building. I'll run five floors and then walk the next two floors, repeating that. On my way back down, every eight floors I'll stop and do 15 toe raises for my calves.

And then I'll go to our gym to run for 30 to 45 minutes on the treadmill. Every five minutes, I increase the speed and incline.

Then I'll do free weights for my arms, and abs on the mat, and some leg exercises. But I do most of my legs with running up the building and on the treadmill. I don't want to get bulky legs. I want to be lean and long.

Q: You have a big dance scene in "Havana 57." Are you a dancer?

A: I've taken dancing classes here and there, but I'm not professionally trained. But I am good with physical stuff. In that scene, we do Apache dancing, which is French from a long time ago. Kind of a weird dance, a violent tango. The guy throws the girl around and they have to fight. I had flips to do. It was hard. Very, very physical.

Q: Do you smoke or have any other health vices?

A: I used to smoke in my early 20s, but that was more social smoking. And social drinking. Now I'm completely against smoking. This year, I've had maybe two drinks.

Q: What's your typical daily diet?

A: I'm semi-vegan because I eat fish every once in a while. I'm a pescatarian. For instance, in the morning, oatmeal and fruits with freshly squeezed juices. And then lunch is quinoa, and I mix in lentils and sweet potatoes. I'll invent salads every day. Tonight I'll probably have lobster tacos. I rarely go out to eat anymore. In the past year, I've really gotten into cooking, which I prefer because I know exactly what I'm eating.

Q: What do you drink?

A: I never drink Coke and Pepsi, ever. I'm always on water and green tea. And the juices.

Q: Ever cheat from your diet?

A: Yes. [For Easter], they have Cadbury eggs with cream inside, I've had too many of those. But I'm not really into sweets. I've trained my brain to be attracted to fruits and vegetables, so I crave those now.

Q: Take any vitamins or sports nutrition products?

A: I used to take omega-3, but I don't trust it. I think if you eat healthy and get enough fruits and vegetables, you don't need vitamins. I try to get variety. I really like kale, asparagus, broccoli, endives. If you see my fridge, it looks like Whole Foods. There's a food I'm enjoying now called soursop ... You have to go to small Hispanic markets [to find it]. They say it's amazing to fight cancer, and it has so many nutrients.